Another Really Great Moment!

So yesterday, my twin girls, Sierra & Savannah, had their first day of preschool. Same school they went to last year. Different teacher. Different classroom. Different time (afternoon instead of morning.) Get to ride the bus!!!

It was also their first day at BSF (Bible Study Fellowship.) This is totally new to them, since they have always had school in the mornings.

They put on their new school clothes with glee, grabbed their "bible bags," and headed out for the day.

We were so crazy that I did not even have time to open the living room curtains before we left. I did not even notice, but Savannah had cracked them open and set her favorite baby doll peeking out the window. As we got in the car, she said, "Baby Emma is maybe waving at me. She is maybe gonna miss me." We all looked at the window and waved. It was sweet!

Both girls loved BSF. Sierra was ready to head back the next day... I think she thought is was another VBS. (Vacation Bible School where we would go everyday for a week.)

I drove them to school for the first day. Sierra was "maybe gonna be a little shy" as she often does at first. We found their cubbies with their pictures on them. We read a book together and I headed out with them seemingly content.

Later I picked up Austin from school and spent some really wonderful one-on-one time with him. We worked on his reading and spelling homework. I am really proud of how hard he tries! He is doing great! He then grabbed two books for me to read on the front step as we waited for the girls to arrive on the bus. Such a pleasant time.

Pretty soon I heard the bus waiting to turn the corner onto our street. Next thing I knew, I was watching it pass on by! I grabbed my cell phone and waited to see what happened next. About a minute later, the home phone rang. They had the wrong house number and were turning around down the street!

The bus finally pulled up and the door opened. Savannah appeared first. She smiled and said, "I was sleeping!" Sierra appeared right behind. Both were sweaty but happy! They bounded off the bus and onto the grass. I kneeled down to hug them and they hugged me right down to the ground. Here is where the REALLY GREAT moment began...

Savannah sat on one side of my lap. Sierra on the other. Austin climbed the tree and then landed near us on the grass. We half sat, half laid there. We chatted. We cuddled. They wrestled and laughed. It was pure contentment. We were home. We were together. We just were.

I tried to snap some pictures... which was a challenge when they were literally sitting on me!
But I will never forget that moment.

It was just.... well, it just was.

A Really Great Moment

Hey- I know it has been a LONG, LONG time since I have written. With that said, I write, now.

I have had two really great moments in the last week..

I waited outside the school, watching all the parents gather to see the precious faces of their little ones burst out of the doors after the first day. Frankly, it was a tad bit chaotic. All the parents and their dogs, cats, and small children converged by the gate. As the clock ticked, the crowds moved forward. Pretty soon I could barely see the door.

The thoughts began to race, "Would my precious 1st-day-1st-grader be trampled by the big-confident-2nd-graders?" (Most 3rd-5th graders come out a different door!) "Would he get flustered when the sun blinded him and he could not find his mommy?" "Would my two pre-school girls get lost in the shuffle?"

Before long, Austin appeared, shielding the sun from his eyes with his arm. Our eyes connected and my girls yelled. "Austin!" He ran to me, wrapped his arms around me and said, "First grade is SO great! I LOVE it!"

Now, keep in mind, Austin does hug us, but it was not until recently that he started hugging more spontaneously. I still remember "teaching" him to hug Daddy when he left for work. We would say, "put your arms around Daddy and squeeze." Also, he does not always know how to connect to his emotions. We are helping him to recognize when he is feeling something and learn how to express it appropriately.

So for me, this genuine expression of joy was pretty great!

We then went out for "special drinks." He chose the Icees at Target!

Later we got ice cream to celebrate both him and Daddy finishing their first day in a new grade.

Life is good!